Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Wild Rice Salad

3/4 cup wild rice
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup dried sour cherries, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup slivered toasted almonds, coarsely chopped*
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. walnut oil, or extra light virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine the wild rice with 2 1/2 cups cold water. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is almost tender, about 50 minutes. Drain, and place the rice in a mixing bowl. There will be about 3 cups cooked rice.

Add the celery, cherries, nuts, onion, orange juice, and oil.  Mix with a fork until the ingredients are well combined. Season the salad to taste with sea salt and pepper. This salad keeps, covered in the refrigerator, for up to three days.

* If your local grocer doesn't sell toasted almonds, toast them yourself. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the nuts on a baking sheet. Toast until fragrant and lightly colored, about 8 minutes, stirring them once or twice.  Cool completely before chopping.

Makes 4 servings. 

Per serving: 260 calories, 8 g total fat (less than 1 g saturated fat), 40 g carbohydrate, 7 g protein, 4 g dietary fiber, 95 mg sodium.